Newport News, Va. – (August 23, 2019) – The Atlantic 10 Conference continued the release of its preseason coaches' poll on Friday with the predictions for the upcoming cross country season.
In the women's poll, six different teams received at least one first place vote, but the majority ended up with defending Atlantic 10 Champion Richmond. The Spiders were predicted first with seven first place votes and 173 points, followed by Dayton with 159 points (two first place votes), La Salle with 149 (one first place vote), and George Mason with 133 points (two first place votes).
Fordham was picked fifth with 116 points, with Duquesne (106), Saint Louis (98), Davidson (94 – one first place vote), George Washington (90), and Saint Joseph's (72 – one first place vote) rounding out the top ten. Rhode Island (59), Massachusetts (57), VCU (46), and St. Bonaventure (13) finish out the poll for the 11 through 14 slots.
The Fordham women are coming off a third place finish at last year's Atlantic 10 Championship, the team's best-ever finish, while the team's score of 150 points was their second-best showing since joining the Atlantic 10 in 1995 (140 – 1996).
In the men's poll, La Salle is predicted to finish first, garnering eight first place votes and 185 points, followed by George Mason with 151 points (one first place vote) and Saint Joseph's with 144 points (one first place vote). Defending champion Dayton (four first place votes) and Saint Louis round out the top five with 138 points.
Massachusetts was voted sixth in the poll with 137 points followed by Richmond and Duquesne with 124 and 104 points, respectively. Fordham was predicted to finish ninth with 93 points, Davidson, 10th with 83 points, and George Washington, 11th with 80 points. Rhode Island, VCU and Saint Bonaventure rounded out the poll.
Fordham finished tenth as a team at last year's Atlantic 10 Championship, and had the individual champion,
Ryan Kutch, for the first time in program history. Kutch returns as a senior to defend the first of five titles he won in 2018. He became the First runner in Atlantic 10 history to win the cross country individual championship, as well as both distances events at the indoor and outdoor championships.
The 2019 Atlantic 10 Championship will take place at
Oatlands Plantation in Leesburg, Virginia, hosted by George Mason.
| 2019 Atlantic 10 Women's Cross Country Preseason Poll |
| Rank |
Team |
Pts. (1st Place Votes) |
| 1. |
Richmond |
173 (7) |
| 2. |
Dayton |
159 (2) |
| 3. |
La Salle |
149 (1) |
| 4. |
George Mason |
133 (2) |
| 5. |
Fordham |
116 |
| 6. |
Duquesne |
106 |
| 7. |
Saint Louis |
98 |
| 8. |
Davidson |
94 (1) |
| 9. |
George Washington |
90 |
| 10. |
Saint Joseph's |
72 (1) |
| 11. |
Rhode Island |
59 |
| 12. |
Massachusetts |
57 |
| 13. |
VCU |
46 |
| 14. |
St. Bonaventure |
13 |
| 2019 Atlantic 10 Men's Cross Country Preseason Poll |
| Rank |
Team |
Pts. (1st Place Votes) |
| 1. |
La Salle |
185 (8) |
| 2. |
George Mason |
151 (1) |
| 3. |
Saint Joseph's |
144 (1) |
| 4. |
Dayton |
138 (4) |
| 5. |
Saint Louis |
138 |
| 6. |
Massachusetts |
137 |
| 7. |
Richmond |
124 |
| 8. |
Duquesne |
104 |
| 9. |
Fordham |
93 |
| 10. |
Davidson |
83 |
| 11. |
George Washington |
80 |
| 12. |
Rhode Island |
40 |
| 13. |
VCU |
39 |
| 14. |
St. Bonaventure |
14 |
